Small arms explosive shell



March 3, 4 A. J. COPPOTELLI 2,453,154

SMALL ARMS EXPLOSIVE SHELL Filed Dec. 20, 1944 Patented Mar. 1. 1949 SMALL ARMS EXPLOSIVE SHELL Albert J. Coppotelli, Dixon, 111.

Application December 20, 1944, Serial No. 568,978

1 Claim.

The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in explosive shells designed particularly for use as a shell for small arms and has for its primary object to provide the shell with an explosive charge.

An important object of the invention is to provide means for firing the charge upon impact of the shell with an object.

A further object of the invention is to provide an explosive shell of this character of simple and practical construction, which is efficient and reliable in use, relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purposes for which the same is intended.

Other objects and advantages reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which the figure is a longitudinal sectional view of the explosive snell.

Referring now to the drawing in detail wherein for the purpose of illustration I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of the invention the numeral designates a hollow shell or projectile of a type adapted for use as a cartridge, the shell being carried at the front end of a conventional form of cartridge (not shown) in the usual manner.

The front or nose end of the shell may be rounded as shown at 6, or may be tapered, if desired. The rear end of the shell is open and is provided with a plug 1 threaded therein and with which is formed a conventional tracer element 8 projecting rearwardly from the plug.

The front or nose end of the shell is filled with an explosive charge 9 which is compressed therein and held in place against the inner walls of the shell to maintain the charge 9 in a solid compact form, the charge extending to a point indicated at ID.

A cylindrical tube II has one end threaded to the inside of the plug 1 and in the rear end of which is slidably mounted a weighted disk or plunger l2 from which a stem 13 projects forwardly in the tube. In the front end of the stem [3 is threadedly attached a detonating cap l4 positioned forwardly of a cup-shaped guide l5 through which the pin I3 is slidably mounted.

A coil spring i6 is mounted on the pin l3 and is held under tension between the guide l5 and the plunger [2 to yieldably maintain the cap M in a rearward position in the guide l5 as shown in the drawing.

The guide It is formed with an outwardly projecting flange I! at its edge for clamping between inner and outer retaining rings l8 and I9 threaded in the front end of the tube II. The retaining rings 18 and I9 also serve to clamp the edges of a frangible cover 20 therebetween forenclosing the cap l4 within the guide f5 as a protector for the cap.

In the operation of the device, as the shell 5 is projected from the cartridge when fired from a rifle, machine gun or similar small arms weapon, the weighted plunger l2 and detonating cap l4 are held in their rearward position, as shown in the drawing, by the spring I6 as well as by the forward momentum of the shell 5, and when the nose 6 of the shell strikes an object the impact will cause the weighted plunger l2 to move forwardly against the tension of the spring 16 and force the cap 14 through the thin frangible closure 20 so as to strike the compressed rear end in of the charge 9, and fire the charge 9 causing an explosion of the shell.

As a safety measure the stem f3 may be provided with a shear pin 2| held against the rear of the guide 15 to prevent accidental forward movement of the detonating cap l4 should the spring [6 become crystallized or broken, the shear pin being broken by the force of the forward movement of the plunger l2 and stem l3 upon impact of the shell with an object.

It is believed that the details of construction, operation and advantages of the device will be readily understood from the foregoing Without further detailed explanation.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

An explosive shell, comprising a hollow body open at its rear end and having an explosive charge held in compact form in its front end, a plug threaded in the rear end of the body, a tube carried by the plug and projecting longitudinally in the body rearwardly of the charge, a weighted plunger slidably mounted in the tube and having a forwardly projecting stem, a detonating cap secured to the front end of the stem, a guide for the stem and forming a chamber for the cap, REFERENCES CITED a frangible cover for the chamber, means for securing the chamber and cover to the front end The following r erences are of record in the of the tube, means for releasably retaining the file of this patent:

plunger rearwardly in the tube, said plunger be- 5 ing projected forwardly upon impact of the body UNITED STATES PATENTS with an object to cause contact of the cap with Number Name Date the charge to fire the latter, and a shear pin 322,275 Ga rick July 14, 1885 mounted on the stem transversely thereof, said 971,691 Sc neider Oct. 4, 1910 shear pin being held normally against the guide 10 1,105,849 e ple Aug. 4, 1914 to present accidental forward movement of the 1,433,323 sto o Dec. 12, 1922 detonating cap, the said shear pin being break- TEN able by the force of the forward movement of the FOREIGN PA Ts plunger upon impact of the shell with an object. Number coumfry Date 19,017 Great Britain Aug. 29, 1902 ALBERT CQPPQTEILI, 15 330,781 ly June 4, 1940 

